The Association of American Railroads (AAR) has reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending March 4, 2023.
For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 474,191 carloads and intermodal units, down 6.3 percent compared with the same week last year.
Total carloads for the week ending March 4 were 237,413 carloads, down 1.0 percent compared with the same week in 2022, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 236,778 containers and trailers, down 11.1 percent compared to 2022.
Four of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2022. They included coal, up 3,612 carloads, to 72,903; petroleum and petroleum products, up 1,320 carloads, to 10,523; and motor vehicles and parts, up 995 carloads, to 14,264. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2022 included grain, down 4,309 carloads, to 20,522; nonmetallic minerals, down 1,312 carloads, to 31,204; and metallic ores and metals, down 1,244 carloads, to 19,124.
For the first nine weeks of 2023, U.S. railroads reported a cumulative volume of 2,066,853 carloads, up 0.1 percent from the same point last year; and 2,100,685 intermodal units, down 8.6 percent from last year. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first nine weeks of 2023 was 4,167,538 carloads and intermodal units, a decrease of 4.5 percent compared to last year.
North American rail volume for the week ending March 4, 2023, on 12 reporting U.S., Canadian, and Mexican railroads totaled 341,889 carloads, up 1.9 percent compared with the same week last year, and 311,197 intermodal units, down 10.4 percent compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 653,086 carloads and intermodal units, down 4.4 percent. North American rail volume for the first nine weeks of 2023 was 5,750,477 carloads and intermodal units, down 2.5 percent compared with 2022.
Canadian railroads reported 80,825 carloads for the week, up 7.6 percent, and 57,978 intermodal units, down 12.2 percent compared with the same week in 2022. For the first nine weeks of 2023, Canadian railroads reported a cumulative rail traffic volume of 1,250,113 carloads, containers, and trailers, up 3.7 percent.
Mexican railroads reported 23,651 carloads for the week, up 15.0 percent compared with the same week last year, and 16,441 intermodal units, up 9.4 percent. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first nine weeks of 2023 was 332,826 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, up 0.1 percent from the same point last year.
To view the weekly rail traffic charts, click here.
